For the Birds

No picture to go with this post, because I was so entranced with the scene before us that I didn't even think about a camera. We live in a path for migratory birds, and occasionally whole flocks of them enjoy our back yard for a short time before they decide they'd better scoot along south. Yesterday morning, with the bright sunshine, we watched through the office window a whole flock of "different" birds feasting on the dark blue (now dried) berries that grow on the shrubs to the north of the house. The orange and yellow leaves are still clinging to the woody stems, so that contributes to our enjoyment. The birds made quite a picture, as they flew in, picniced, and flew off as if on command, then came swooping back for more. The main color of the birds was a light brown. The males had a yellow stripe at the end of the tail, and a pale yellow breast, with a light yellow line running down the middle of the back. The obvious female was a bit more dowdy, and mostly brown. Beaks were not big enough to be in the flicker family (we usually see a lot of them this time of year), but could handily take care of the berries left on the bushes. Anyway, it was our show for the day yesterday!